In Pictures: How Hong Kong’s Gen Z rappers are navigating their careers online
Words by James Lee Hong Kong’s local rap scene has been going through a dry spell lately. Shows, as with other independent music scenes, have shrunken in size and dropped in frequency since the days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when local subcultures rallied around homegrown talent. Whereas promoters could once fill venues such as the […]
Hong Kong's local rap scene has faced a decline in recent years, particularly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Venues, once bustling with large crowds, now host smaller club gigs to keep the artists afloat. Cheeseekit, Le Shing, and DRG are a group of young rappers who have emerged and are actively navigating their careers in the online realm.
They recognize that their art alone is insufficient to sustain them in this economy, as they often hold down day jobs like delivery or pastry sales to make ends meet. Despite their young age, Cheeseekit has already achieved significant commercial success, booking shows where he earns a modest wage for a short performance. His approach to success balances commercial pragmatism with a healthy skepticism of materialism, emphasizing the importance of redefining wealth to align with personal values.
Written by urgent.news from Hong Kong Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
